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Live acoustic playing...


Guest Zeenat Aman

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Guest Zeenat Aman

Dear soundmen/women!

Is actual acoustic live performance a viable option(ie: no pickups, clip on's etc), the reason being that I hate the sound of electro-acoustics?

yukyukyuk

I imagine volume will be an issue, but having witnessed a few gigs where, even with the player using an electro-acoustic, he was still very quiet and tonally it sounded awful...

You thoughts and advice please!

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Martin Stephenson (www.daintees.com) went through a phase of really hating any barriers between him and the audience, so would quite often unplug, step off stage and sit with the crowd. I saw him do it at the Lemon Tree once, and the effect was amazing. The whole place was utterly silent, and it felt like such a connection between him and the crowd.

Always wanted to get him to Drakes, would have been great. Tunnels, maybe...

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Guest lime ruined my life

i think its quite common to use an acoustic with a peizo pre amp and eq, try getting the ebst sound out of that, and mixing it with the signal of a microphone.

best of both worlds.

i don't know much about this though.

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Martin Stephenson (www.daintees.com) went through a phase of really hating any barriers between him and the audience' date=' so would quite often unplug, step off stage and sit with the crowd. I saw him do it at the Lemon Tree once, and the effect was amazing. The whole place was utterly silent, and it felt like such a connection between him and the crowd.

Always wanted to get him to Drakes, would have been great. Tunnels, maybe...[/quote']

Chris TT did a similar trick at Drakes when he played with Thomas Truax and Sergeant Buzfuz. The effect was amazing, aside from the flushing cistern from the bloke's bog the room was in rapt awe and silence.

Takes a certain type of performer, I guess. Chris TT has that mad-eye thing which makes you think you'd get the guitar to your head if you didn't shut up and listen...

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Chris TT did a similar trick at Drakes when he played with Thomas Truax and Sergeant Buzfuz. The effect was amazing' date=' aside from the flushing cistern from the bloke's bog the room was in rapt awe and silence.

[/quote']

Aye, I was there too, and he did remind of Mr Stephenson when he did it. That was a fantastic night.

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Guest Zeenat Aman
So there could be a market for second hand strings then....

I would suggest that is bullshit invented by someone who's poor but proud!!

I think he means when the strings are brand spanking new and sound very *zingy*.

Ian, answer the original question mofo!!! :D

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Dear soundmen/women!

Is actual acoustic live performance a viable option(ie: no pickups' date=' clip on's etc), the reason being that I hate the sound of electro-acoustics?

yukyukyuk

I imagine volume will be an issue, but having witnessed a few gigs where, even with the player using an electro-acoustic, he was still very quiet and tonally it sounded awful...

You thoughts and advice please![/quote']

OK mo-fo

First, the explanation as to why someone using an electro-acoustic may still be quiet and sound bad.

PA systems work on ratios, they give you a maximum of x amount of dB gain on the input signal. The output can never be more than the original signal plus x.

If the input signal is too quiet the engineer has several options, all bad. (note that acoustic artists seem to think whispering is a viable artform). To get more of the signal out than the PA can deliver we have to unbalanace the PA and start pushing it past it's normal operating parameters (i.e. more than xdB signal gain).

Unfortunately this also affects the other instruments tone because, in the absence of fancy gadgets, it has to be done globally, over the entire FOH speaker system.

The other options involve not hearing much at all.

Unfortunately with miked acoustics we have the reverse problem normally, the guitar is too quiet, especially nylon strings, and when they're picked rather than strummed.

Add this to the fact that sound works in an inverse square relationship to distance (twice as far away from the mic=4 times quieter) .

A smallish venue with an over-specced PA and a receptive crowd would give you the best chance of success, unless you've got fancy gadgets.

That all right for you Sir Philip?

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Guest Zeenat Aman

Thank you kindly, so generally a guitar and mic is a no go!

Hm what about when you mic'd up the sitar?

OK mo-fo

First' date=' the explanation as to why someone using an electro-acoustic may still be quiet and sound bad.

PA systems work on ratios, they give you a maximum of x amount of dB gain on the input signal. The output can never be more than the original signal plus x.

If the input signal is too quiet the engineer has several options, all bad. (note that acoustic artists seem to think whispering is a viable artform). To get more of the signal out than the PA can deliver we have to unbalanace the PA and start pushing it past it's normal operating parameters (i.e. more than xdB signal gain).

Unfortunately this also affects the other instruments tone because, in the absence of fancy gadgets, it has to be done globally, over the entire FOH speaker system.

The other options involve not hearing much at all.

Unfortunately with miked acoustics we have the reverse problem normally, the guitar is too quiet, especially nylon strings, and when they're picked rather than strummed.

Add this to the fact that sound works in an inverse square relationship to distance (twice as far away from the mic=4 times quieter) .

A smallish venue with an over-specced PA and a receptive crowd would give you the best chance of success, unless you've got fancy gadgets.

That all right for you Sir Philip?[/quote']

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Guest Zeenat Aman
Personally I'd avoid it if possible. No point sounding great if no one can hear how great it sounds.

Check your memory banks. That wasn't me.

Ah, I remember now. :p

How the hell did they manage before electro acoustics! Audiences must have listened/been quiet!

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